


The Silent Land

by alexcat



Category: TOLKIEN J. R. R. - Works & Related Fandoms, The Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Angst, Gen, Goodbyes, Sailing To Valinor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-03
Updated: 2018-12-03
Packaged: 2019-09-06 09:05:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 491
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16829443
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alexcat/pseuds/alexcat
Summary: Celeborn comes to say goodbye to Loríen.





	The Silent Land

**Author's Note:**

> From the Fanfiction Renegades Monday Prompt: 'The garden was overgrown now.'

The Silent Land 

*  
 _...Arwen went forth from the House, and the light of her eyes was quenched, and it seemed to her people that she had become cold and grey as nightfall in winter that comes without a star. Then she said farewell to Eldarion, and to her daughters, and to all whom she had loved; and she went out from the city of Minas Tirith and passed away to the land of Lórien, and dwelt there alone under the fading trees until winter came. Galadriel had passed away and Celeborn also was gone, and the land was silent._ ~ Return of the King, Appendix A  
*

Celeborn journeyed to Loríen one last time. He and Thranduil would sail at last when the autumn came to Middle Earth. They had kept silent watch for more than a century and a half since Aragorn had died and Arwen had come to Loríen to die. 

He recognized little though he had lived here for hundreds of years. The forest was no longer made of tall mallorn trees. They had given way to sturdy oaks and tall poplars, the trees of men. The graceful mallorn would soon be only a legend, a tale told to children of the elves who dwelt in the tall, graceful trees. 

The garden was overgrown now – the garden where Galadriel grew herbs and flowers. The herbs healed the body and the flowers healed the soul, she told him. There had been riotous bushes with colorful blooms and mixed among them, the tiny stars of earth and sun, niphredil and elanor. Those buds had gone the way of the mallorn and were no more. 

He did recognize one green and growing place. It was where his beautiful granddaughter had come to rest. Grief and sadness had overwhelmed her when Aragorn had died and she wandered back here, to the place she loved. She had died alone and unmourned, leaves covering her and the earth claiming her. Even now, many years later, the grass was green and growing where she lay.

He had not shed a tear in all the years since his wife had sailed into the west with the other Ringbearers. He shed them now, for all the sorrow of a lifetime. He would soon pass beyond this world of men with their blessedly short lives. They did not how blessed they had been by the creator to never have to watch all they had known and loved pass away from the world. 

He removed something from his pocket, a tiny brooch with the light of the sun inside it, the Elfstone that Aragorn had received from Arwen. His grandson had given him the stone long ago. He knelt and lay the tiny jewel among the green and growing grass and flowers that still covered his sweet Arwen. 

“I shall not pass this way again. Watch over them all. They need your light.” 

He rose and walked away, never to return.

**Author's Note:**

> I used Elfstone from the books rather than Evenstar for the brooch.


End file.
